Static on The India-China Line

Trade tensions, national security concerns and fears of creeping protectionism—themes that often crop up in China's relations with the U.S.— are ever more a part of China's dealings with India.

The current tussle between the two countries revolves around telecommunications equipment. A recent softening of India's stance on imports of goods in this sector from China may not be all it seems. There is more than a whiff of politics about...